Digital Commons Network^™

Insurance, Bradley S. Wolff, Stephen Schatz, Stephen L. Cotter

Mercer Law Review

In property insurance cases, there were two Georgia Supreme Court decisions with the potential for significant impact. The court held that insurance companies are liable for diminution in value of real property under commercial and homeowners insurance policies, extending the reasoning in State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Mabry beyond motor vehicles for the first time. Answering a certified question, the supreme court also held a one-year suit limitation in a homeowners insurance policy is enforceable for losses not caused by fire, despite an insurance commissioner-issued regulation that would prohibit any limitation shorter than, two years.

Despite an insurer's …

How Can An Anaerobic Digester Benefit A Community Both Environmentally And Economically?, Sam Neal

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the current practices for utilizing biomass within a municipality and discuss what changes can be made to make the process more efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly. The study was conducted using the town of River Forest, Illinois as a representative town of America. The findings and structure of the study can be used as a template to improve other cities environmentally and economically.

A Simulation-Based Decision Support System To Model Complex Demand Driven Heathcare Facilities, Amr Arisha, Michael Thorwarth

Conference papers

Simulating healthcare processes is a sophisticated endeavor. Treatment processes and patient arrival patterns differ significantly in their statistical attributes and implicate a high degree of variability. In addition, there are several types of interconnected processes of medical staff involved that accompany a patient’s journey through the healthcare facility. Replicating this behavior with process flow models in a discrete event simulation model is highly complex and therefore difficult to create while maintaining a high degree of precision. A framework is thus introduced which delivers an algorithm that allows to implement Multiple Participant Pathway Modeling (MPPM) under the consideration of Flexible Resource …

Multi-Citeria Framework For An Emergency Department In An Irish Hospital, Waleed Abo Hamad, Amr Arisha

Conference papers

Health research is one of these priorities in every economy and through this research an emphasis will be put on translational research in the context of more sustainable and efficient healthcare system (translation of operations management practices to clinical applications). Healthcare systems in general and Emergency Departments in particular around the world are facing enormous challenges in meeting the increasingly conflicting objectives of providing wide accessibility and efficiency while delivering high quality and prompt services. The proposed framework integrates simulation modeling, balanced scorecard, and multi-criteria decision analysis aiming to provide a decision support system to emergency department managers. Simulation outputs …

Creativity With Images: A Workshop For Learning And Practicing Ideational Thinking For Visual Thinkers, Ana L. Castelan Valles

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The purpose of this project is to communicate the foundations of creativity and some tools of ideational thinking to visual thinkers. The goal of this project is to bring visual thinkers into the science of creativity and demonstrate that they can use ideational thinking tools to improve their visual skills. This project also serves as an attempt to identify the cognitive preferences of visual thinkers to foster their creative skills and to enhance their creative process. The finished product is the content of a workshop comprised by five sections. Each section includes an explanation of the essential topics about creativity …

An Affordance-Based Framework For Human Computation And Human-Computer Collaboration, R. Jordan Crouser, Remco Chang

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Visual Analytics is “the science of analytical reasoning facilitated by visual interactive interfaces” [70]. The goal of this field is to develop tools and methodologies for approaching problems whose size and complexity render them intractable without the close coupling of both human and machine analysis. Researchers have explored this coupling in many venues: VAST, Vis, InfoVis, CHI, KDD, IUI, and more. While there have been myriad promising examples of human-computer collaboration, there exists no common language for comparing systems or describing the benefits afforded by designing for such collaboration. We argue that this area would benefit significantly from consensus about …

A Look Into The Multiple Aspects Of Child Development Using Theories Of Moral, Social, And Cognitive Development, Mazalynn Demas

XULAneXUS

No abstract provided.

The Polticial Implications Of Gulliver's Travels, Shenitria Myles

XULAneXUS

No abstract provided.

Early-Life Influences On Body Composition, Metabolic Economy, And Age At Menarche, Megan A. Workman

Anthropology ETDs

Prenatal energy balance and postnatal psychosocial experiences have been linked by separate literatures to maturational timing, adult body composition (e.g., height, skeletal muscle mass), and life-long differences in metabolic physiology. This dissertation examines the potential influences of prenatal energy balance and postnatal psychosocial experiences in simultaneous analyses designed to test whether they exert additive or interacting influences on adult body composition (chapters 2 and 4), metabolic physiology (chapter 3), and age at menarche (chapter 4) among samples of U.S. men and women. Evolutionary models that address human developmental plasticity are explored as possible explanations for the observed relationships.

Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound: Countermeasure For Microgravity-Induced Bone Loss, Sardar Muhammad Zia Uddin

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Microgravity (MG) during space flight is known to have adverse effect on bone quality and quantity. Data collected from studies conducted on astronauts show a loss of 1-1.6% bone mineral density (BMD) per month of space-flight. This decreased BMD has been recorded in the load-bearing region of the legs and spine. The reduction in bone quality can be due to decreased osteoblast and/or increased osteoclast activity when exposed to microgravity. During space-flights, rigorous exercise has been used to reduce to bone loss due to microgravity, but thus far it has proven inadequate to produce significant results. Some studies have considered …

Design, Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Novel Curcumin Analogues As Inhibitors Of Matrix Metalloproteinases And Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines, Yu Zhang

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

There are two principal reasons why we age: 1) the toxicity of oxygen species; 2) the continuous degradation of collagen by groups of enzymes such as the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The MMPs are a group of more than 25 structurally zinc-containing enzymes that are involved in the degradation of numerous extracellular, pericellular and non-matrix proteins. In many disease conditions their levels and proteinase activity rise, producing pathological and serious structural damage. Tetracyclines (TCs) are known inhibitors of mammalian-derived MMPs, and non-antibiotic formulations of doxycycline are FDA-approved to treat periodontitis and the chronic inflammatory skin disease, rosacea. However, a significant limitation …

Mitigation Of Bone Loss And Augment Of Anabolic Adaptation By Physiological Dynamic Fluid Flow Stimulation, Minyi Hu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Novel modalities with strong translational potential to prevent osteoporosis are urgently called for, as osteoporosis strikes the society with high incidences of disease-related fractures and excessive medical costs. While bone fluid flow (BFF) regulates bone adaptation, intramedullary pressure (ImP) can initiate BFF and influence osteogenic signals. To establish the translational potential, a non-invasive intervention with direct ImP-coupled BFF can help develop new non-pharmaceutical treatments for osteopenia/osteoporosis. The overall objective of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of a novel, non-invasive dynamic hydraulic stimulation (DHS) on skeletal regulatory responses at the tissue, cellular, and molecular levels. The global hypothesis was …

Evolution Of The Cardiac Electrophysiological System And Regulation Of Ion Channel Gene Expression, Qinghong Yan

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

There are two basic ways by which biological systems can evolve, either by changes in the sequence of protein coding regions (structural evolution) or by changes in gene regulatory function (regulatory evolution). The relative importance of regulatory versus structural evolution for the evolution of different biological systems is a subject of controversy. The primacy of regulatory evolution in the diversification of morphological traits has been promoted by many evolutionary developmental biologists. For physiological traits, however, the role of regulatory evolution has received less attention or has been considered to be relatively unimportant. To address this issue for electrophysiological systems, I …

Minutes Of Board Of Directors 2012 Fall Meeting, Cyndi Routledge

The Migrant - Tennessee Ornithological Society

No abstract provided.

An Educational Data Mining Model For Online Teaching And Learning, Jui-Long Hung, Kerry Rice, Anthony Saba

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study contains two major parts. First, this study proposed a generic model for Educational Data Ming (EDM) studies by reviewing EDM literature and the existing data mining model. Second, the procedures of the EDM model are demonstrated with a case study approach. The case study results showed patterns and relationships discovered from the EDM model that could be applied to improve online teaching and learning and to predict students’ academic performances.

Videopoetry: Collaboration As Imaginative Method, Peter Lutze, James Armstrong, Laura Woodworth-Ney

Literacy, Language and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Three Idaho professors (a poet, videographer, and historian) have been collaborating for eight years on a cross-disciplinary project called VideoPoetry, which integrates historical narration, narrative poetry, historical photographs, and videography into the video medium. To this point we've worked primarily on a specific program, Culture of Reclamation, which explores the culture of the early irrigated landscape communities in southern Idaho. In reflecting on our work-process, we’ve discovered that we’ve fundamentally changed as scholars as a result of our collaboration. This paper identifies the nature of our changes and documents instances of the ways in which we have been challenged to …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2012 Annual Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Stephen K. Wilson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

the last remnants of native mixed-grass prairie in the region. The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network (NGPN) surveyed 8 long-term monitoring plots in Scotts Bluff National Monument in 2012 as part of an effort to better understand the condition of plant communities in the park. We measured plant diversity and cover, estimated tree and shrub density, looked for the presence of exotic species that are of concern to park management, and evaluated the amount of human and natural disturbance at all plots. This effort was the second year in a multiple-year venture to document the current …

2012 Mexican Spotted Owl Study, Final Report, Pinos Altos Range, Gila National Forest, New Mexico, Hawks Aloft, Inc.

Single Species Reports (Hawks Aloft)

No abstract provided.

Semantic Similarity Detection In Natural Language Documents, Lianyu Zhao

All Theses

Data leak prevention (DLP) solutions monitor and control data flow. Current techniques find data that matches user defined syntactic patterns. Unfortunately, large classes of DLP relevant data are defined by information semantics, rather than data syntax. Syntax refers to data format, whereas semantics refers to data meaning. The class of social security numbers can be adequately expressed using data syntax, whereas a new industrial process can only be adequately described using information semantics. In this paper, we propose methods for extracting and identifying document semantics using training sets of limited size (tens of documents). The first method is based on …

Impedance-Based Fault Location Methods For Transmission Line Connecting Wind Farm Plants, Chaoqi Ji

All Theses

With an increasing capacity of wind power installed in the world, the impact of wind generation during fault condition has been studied. Wind plants equipped with induction generator results in a different fault behavior in transmission networks. In this paper, the validation of existing impedance-based fault location methods are performed on a transmission line connecting wind plant equipped with three different types of induction generators. This work is based on the simulation in real-time digital simulator (RTDS).
Squirrel-cage induction generator (SCIG), wound-rotor induction generator (WRIG) and doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) are the three common generators used for wind power plants. …

Characterisation Of Pharmaceutical Grade Horse Chestnut Waste, Joanna Przyborska

Theses

Horse chestnut residue was made available by a local pharmaceutical company. The residue was subjected to compositional analysis and studied to determine potential for residual biological activity, including prebiotic, antimicrobial, anti-hyaluronidase and anti-elastase effects.

The residue had 52 % total solids, including 2.97% ash, 6.93% protein, 1.89% crude fat. Oleic acid (74.7%) was the main fatty acid components in the crude lipid component. The major ash components were potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium.

Prebiotic potential of aqueous extract (HCE) from horse chestnut residue was confirmed. A new formula for calculation of prebiotic index (PI) was developed. PI for probiotics (Lactobacillus …

Fabrication Of Cao-Nao-Sio2/Tio2 Scaffolds For Surgical Applications, A. W. Wren, A. Coughlan, K. E. Smale, S. T. Misture, B. P. Mahon, O. M. Clarkin, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A series of titanium (Ti) based glasses were formulated (0.62 SiO₂-0.14 Na₂O-0.24 CaO, with 0.05 mol% TiO₂ substitutions for SiO₂) to develop glass/ceramic scaffolds for bone augmentation. Glasses were initially characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and particle size analysis, where the starting materials were amorphous with 4.5 μm particles. Hot stage microscopy and high temperature XRD were used to determine the sintering temperature (̃700 °C) and any crystalline phases present in this region (Na₂Ca₃Si₆O₁₆, combeite and quartz). Hardness testing revealed that the Ti-free control (ScC- …

Extracellular Matrix And Fibroblast Communication Following Myocardial Infarction, Yonggang Ma, Ganesh V. Halade, Merry L. Lindsey

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structural support by serving as a scaffold for cells, and as such the ECM maintains normal tissue homeostasis and mediates the repair response following injury. In response to myocardial infarction (MI), ECM expression is generally upregulated in the left ventricle (LV), which regulates LV remodeling by modulating scar formation. The ECM directly affects scar formation by regulating growth factor release and cell adhesion and indirectly affects scar formation by regulating the inflammatory, angiogenic, and fibroblast responses. This review summarizes the current literature on ECM expression patterns and fibroblast mechanisms in the myocardium, focusing on the …

Espeleorevista Puerto Rico, No. 7, July-December 2012, Marianela Mercado Burgos

KIP Articles

Contents: Cuevas: refugio de nuestro arte rupestre Para el culebrón, el tamaño hace la diferencia Calidad del agua en las Cuevas de Aguas Buenas 1 Las Rocas de las Cuevas de Isla de Mona e Isla Monito Cueva Sorbetos Las Cuevas Verticales de los Cerros de Maniabón en Holguín, Cuba Atrapados en la Cueva del Viento Tropa y Crew 230 en Cueva el Arco De camino a República Checa, donde los caminos se encuentran en el 2013 Anuncios de Congresos y Simposios Espeleológicos

In A Garden Of Lions: A Creative Rendering Inspired By The Three Metamorphoses Of Friedrich Nietzsche, Olivia L. Spence

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

A decade ago, during the summer of 2002, I read Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It made an indelible mark: even the colors and smells of that roof-top porch in Toronto where I read it all the way through still arise in the forefront of my mind every time I think of this text. Since then, I have been captivated with the writings and philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, and have sought to understand this interest whenever possible. It is with this introspective eye that I have engaged this thesis project, using the last section of his text as a jumping …

Quintessence Of Dust: Cognitive Neuroscience And An Actor's Process, Jason Christopher Davis

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This thesis examines theories provided by cognitive neuroscience and applies them to an actor’s process. In particular, this research addresses the subjectivity and intentionality of our consciousness and special as-if states of consciousness, supported by the work of John Searle and Antonio Damasio. The phenomenal feeling of character-model control is discussed and supported by the work of Thomas Metzinger. The paper also considers our relative understanding of mirror neurons and specifically their function in relation to intersubjectivity and their use for an actor’s creation and conveyance of character in rehearsal and performance. It examines Stanislavsky’s notion of emotional memory and …

Rapid Evolution Of Northeastern Coyotes, Javier Monzon

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The potential for rapid adaptive evolution is a subject of great interest in evolutionary biology. I took a population genomics approach to study the contemporary evolution of northeastern coyotes (Canis latrans) via hybridization and ecological specialization. I genotyped 96 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a broad geographic sample of 427 northeastern coyotes. First, I examined the prevalence, spatial distribution, and ecology of admixture. I found that northeastern coyotes form an extensive hybrid swarm with individuals being highly admixed with wolves (C. lupus) and dogs (C. familiaris). Coyotes in areas of high deer density are genetically more wolf-like, suggesting that natural …

Native American Theatre, Playwrights & Spirit Of Place, Sonia Elizabeth Kircher

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

My thesis and research focuses on Native American Theatre, playwrights and performance in the Americas. I am interested in the history of Indigenous performance as it pertains to spirit of place, colonization, Native American philosophy and critical race theory. | 88 pages

Luck, And Other Disasters, Genevieve Crane

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This is a collection of stories loosely centered around loss of control. Some of the narrators suffer psychological breakdowns, such as eating disorders and schizophrenia, while others suffer from external forces. The loose theme is intentional, for the sake of experimentation with a variety of voices and circumstances. Some of these characters scrape against the edge of the revelation that there is logic in their chaos. Others miss the epiphany entirely. All of the characters in these stories speak in dash format and there are no quotation marks used to indicate when someone is speaking. This decision was made because …

Counselor, Victor Thomas Giannini

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Counselor is a novel about the most important night of Timothy Dune's life. As our depressed, drug poisoned, alcoholic, and certainly neurotic narrator, Tim struggles to make amends to those he has wronged. Living in a nightmarish future, a decaying world where animals are going extinct, the American Dream is long dead, and his best friends are violent criminals, Tim sees one last chance to change his life. Struggling with the suicide of his first love, Tracy Cameron, and the betrayal of his best friend, Barry Cameron, Tim blames a childhood curse for all his misfortune. After putting Barry in …